The world’s cleanest diesel: First series-produced passenger car with BLUETEC from Mercedes-Benz

Advanced diesel technology represents a superior drive concept

High performance, extremely economical fuel consumption, long range and the lowest emissions ever

BLUETEC’s ability to meet even the most stringent emission limits means diesel technology is now ready for the future

Las Vegas, Sep 06, 2006BLUETEC technology is making Mercedes-Benz the pioneer of a new generation of clean and powerful high-tech drives, whose highly effective exhaust gas treatment systems give them the potential to fulfill the world’s most stringent emission limits in the future. At the same time, the basic technology for turbo-charging and common-rail direct injection used in Mercedes CDI diesel engines has already proved itself in millions of vehicles in Europe.

BLUETEC ensures that diesel drives will continue to offer outstanding driving pleasure in the future, especially in the U.S. What’s more, in view of continually rising fuel prices, BLUETEC represents a superior drive concept for both today and tomorrow.

The Mercedes-Benz E 320 BLUETEC offers outstanding driving dynamics and unprecedented efficiency and environmental compatibility. Its three-liter V6 engine combines the powerful torque of a high-volume V8 engine with the low fuel consumption of a compact model. The vehicle accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds, making it one of the sportiest executive sedans on the market. Its tremendous torque of 400 lb-ft even exceeds that of most eight-cylinder engine models. At the same time, the Mercedes-Benz E 320 BLUETEC gets 35 miles per gallon (6.7 liters/100 km) in combined cycle driving. That’s a level of fuel efficiency normally found only in a compact car. The vehicle is also environmentally friendly through its excellent fuel economy and its extremely low emissions.

BLUETEC - a superior drive concept

The BLUETEC concept utilizes state-of-the-art diesel engines featuring common-rail direct injection, thereby providing all the benefits this drive system has to offer. Fuel consumption in these diesel vehicles is 20 to 40 percent lower than in cars equipped with a comparable gasoline engine, and torque - the key indicator of engine power - is 30 to 50 percent higher.
The E 320 BLUETEC offers an impressive example of such attributes: Its torque of 400 lb-ft gives it the power of a vehicle equipped with a high-volume V8 gasoline engine, and its acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds is an illustration of the model’s outstanding performance. The vehicle’s top speed of 155 mph is, of course, a theoretical value in the U.S., but American customers are mainly interested in engines that deliver great power at low engine speeds, as this makes for confident yet relaxed driving, energetic acceleration, and long-range driving (up to 700 miles or more) on one tank of fuel. The E 320 BLUETEC definitely fulfills these requirements.

Moreover, its fuel economy ratings of 37 mpg (6.4 liters/100 km) in highway driving, and 26 mpg (9.0 liters/100 km) in the EPA city cycle, are higher than what many models in the compact class can offer. The BLUETEC system also performs well when matched up against hybrid technology, as the standard fuel economy ratings for the Mercedes E 320 BLUETEC are better than those for a hybrid of a comparable size and power output. The benefits offered by diesel engines often become more apparent in actual driving. That’s because diesel fuel consumption in real-life driving generally remains very close to fuel economy ratings, and is sometimes even better. This, however, is not the case with other drive systems. Diesels have in fact performed extremely well in comparative independent tests of diesel and hybrid vehicles conducted by journalists from automotive magazines on three different continents. In each case, whether driving straight across the U.S., Germany or Japan, the fuel consumption of diesel vehicles was significantly lower than that of hybrid cars.

The use of BLUETEC in the U.S. will be made possible by the introduction in that country of cleaner, low-sulfur diesel containing less than 15 ppm sulfur content. In line with corresponding legislation in the U.S. and Canada, the new fuel will become available all across the two countries in October 2006. The previous maximum sulfur content in diesel fuel was 500 ppm; sulfur content will therefore be reduced by a factor of 33, which will lead to an immediate noticeable reduction in emissions from all diesel vehicles. That’s because sulfur, which is present in varied concentrations in crude oil, is one of the key causes of particulate formation. Introduction of ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) has now made it possible to use particulate filters in the U.S. as well. What’s more, this fuel will enable efficient aftertreatment of nitrogen oxide emissions. The fuel supply for the world’s cleanest diesel has therefore now been secured, especially as the Mercedes E 320 BLUETEC’s ability to travel more than 700 miles (approx. 1,200 km) on one tank of fuel means its drivers won’t have to go looking for gas stations very often.

Rather than being an isolated solution, the E 320 BLUETEC is just one part of DaimlerChrysler’s overall strategy of ensuring sustainable mobility for the future. The 3.0-liter diesel engine in the E 320 BLUETEC is used by the Mercedes-Benz brand in ten of its model series. The BLUETEC technology will be initially launched in the U.S., after which Mercedes-Benz will prepare for its introduction to other markets. BLUETEC will also be made available in a passenger car model in Europe beginning in 2008. DaimlerChrysler does not plan to restrict the use of BLUETEC to the Mercedes-Benz brand alone: The Jeep Grand Cherokee BLUETEC concept car, for example, represents one additional application possibility for the future.

BLUETEC - the market

Mercedes-Benz is considered to be the pioneer of diesel technology: The Mercedes-Benz 260 D, which was presented 70 years ago, was the world’s first series-produced diesel passenger car. Over the years, Mercedes-Benz has consistently employed its innovative strength and engineering talent to enhance and improve the internal combustion system invented by Rudolf Diesel.
Mercedes also has a great diesel tradition in the U.S. that stretches back more than 40 years. The most successful diesel phase to date for the brand was during the 1980s, when diesel passenger cars accounted for up to 80 percent of total Mercedes-Benz sales in the U.S. As a result, Mercedes-Benz not only has a longer history of diesel expertise than any other automaker, but also understands the U.S. diesel market better than anyone else. Back in August 2002, during a time when it appeared that diesel passenger cars had practically no future in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz laid the cornerstone for a new era of diesel success by introducing the E-Class 211 series.

Then, in January 2004, the brand officially launched diesel’s U.S. comeback at the Detroit Auto Show with the E320 CDI, which went on sale in April 2004. State-of-the-art common-rail direct injection, high injection pressure, and a turbocharger with variable turbine geometry made the E320 CDI much stronger, quieter and cleaner than any diesel that had ever come before it. Sales of the E 320 CDI have risen sharply since oil prices jumped for the first time in August 2005, and more than 11,000 E-Class vehicles with a diesel drive have been sold in the U.S. since the market launch in April 2004.

Market analysts agree that diesel vehicles will continue to become more popular. Automotive Industry Data, for example, predicts that diesel vehicles will account for nearly 60 percent of passenger cars in Western Europe in 2009, while J.D. Power expects the diesel share of western European passenger cars to rise to around 56 percent over the medium term.

Diesel market shares around the world are fundamentally influenced by fuel prices. The more expensive fuel becomes, the higher the market share for fuel-efficient diesels. Fuel prices have traditionally been lower in the U.S. than elsewhere in the world, and this in part explains why diesel’s share of vehicle registrations in the U.S. is still comparatively low. Another explanation is offered by the fact that no sulfur-free fuel has been available up until now, and such fuel is indispensable for state-of-the-art diesel technology.

Few have noticed that sales of passenger cars and light trucks equipped with diesel engines have risen 40 percent in the U.S. over the last five years - perhaps because the sales volume was rather low to begin with. Still, more than 550,000 diesel passenger cars and light trucks were sold in the U.S. in 2005, an increase of nine percent from the prior year. The market share for diesels in the U.S. reached 3.5 percent in 2005, which was more than the hybrid market share of 1.2 percent. The share of sales of light trucks - which make up nearly half the U.S. vehicle market - accounted for by diesel vehicles was almost six percent last year.

Forecasts regarding the diesel share of the U.S. market in the future are optimistic. An extensive study conducted by J.D. Power, for example, predicts that the market share of diesel vehicles in the U.S. will increase from 3.5 percent in 2005 to more than 15 percent in 2015. Automotive Industry Data also forecasts that diesel vehicles will account for more than 15 percent of the market in the U.S. over the long term.

This will be very important for the U.S. because diesel vehicles can offer huge fuel savings potential if their market share is extrapolated to the entire market. This was confirmed in a study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2004. Margo Oge, head of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, concluded in the study that if only one-third of all light-duty trucks in the U.S. were operated with modern diesel engines, the country would save 1.4 million barrels of oil per day in the U.S. the amount of oil the U.S. currently imports from Saudi Arabia.

Fuel price developments, and - more importantly - the huge improvements made to the performance and comfort offered by modern diesel engines, have led to a tremendous increase in the market share for diesel vehicles in Europe over the past few years. Whereas diesel vehicles accounted for 32 percent of new registrations in western Europe in 2000, that figure had risen to 49.5 percent by 2005, meaning that nearly half of all new automobiles in the region are now equipped with a diesel drive system. The diesel share for SUVs is between 80 and 100 percent around the world, and upper-range vehicles such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class represent another segment in which diesels perform well.

BLUETEC - a modular technology

BLUETEC is a modular concept that utilizes various coordinated technical measures that both minimize engine-out emissions within the engine and also provide for effective exhaust gas treatment downstream. The process involves gradually but consistently reducing all relevant emission components to a minimum. The system for passenger cars includes an oxidizing catalytic converter and a particulate filter in addition to effective techniques for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions. BLUETEC technology is particularly important for lowering nitrogen oxide emissions, which are the final component of exhaust gas and are higher in diesel vehicles than in cars equipped with gasoline engines due to the diesel’s principle of operation. Up until recently, the only real remaining disadvantage of diesel engines as compared to gasoline engines was in the area of specific emissions, especially of particulates and nitrogen oxides. However, Mercedes-Benz set the standard for modern diesel drive systems in the fall of 2003, when it introduced the maintenance-free particulate filter in combination with the EU4 emission. The brand is still not letting up here, despite having achieved an approximately 75 percent reduction in emissions through engine-internal measures over the past 15 years. The mission is clear: Through the use of innovative BLUETEC technology, diesel engines from Mercedes-Benz have the potential to comply with the world’s most stringent emission standards. When this has been achieved, Mercedes-Benz will be able to offer the world’s cleanest diesels in every vehicle class.
The key aspect of the innovative BLUETEC technology involves lowering levels of nitrogen oxides (denoxification) in an effective and economical manner. In order to combine all technical solutions for emission reduction into an optimized package, Mercedes-Benz is implementing a multi-staged plan consisting of the following measures:

Optimization of engines and combustion processes in order to reduce engine-out emissions as much as possible. This includes the use of electronic engine control systems, four-valve technology, third-generation common-rail direct injection with piezo injectors, variable-geometry turbochargers and exhaust gas recirculation.

Use of oxidizing catalytic converters to minimize emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC).

Use of the particulate filter, which has been standard equipment in all Mercedes-Benz diesel passenger cars in many countries since the summer of 2005, cuts particulate emissions by up to 98%. This filter has led to particulate emissions significantly lower than the current EU4 limit of 0.025 grams/kilometer. Currently valid emission standards in the U.S. are thus also being met.

The diesel principle makes concentrations of nitrogen oxides higher in diesel engine-out emissions than in those of gasoline engines. However, nitrogen oxides are reduced to such an extent by BLUETEC as to enable compliance with the most stringent exhaust gas limits worldwide in the future.

In future models, BLUETEC will be used in conjunction with the even more effective method of AdBlue injection, which involves the application of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technique. This is currently the most effective method for exhaust gas treatment, enabling nitrogen oxide emissions to be reduced by up to 80 percent. The combination with AdBlue is currently being developed for series production and will be used primarily in large vehicles and SUVs. The Mercedes Vision GL 320 BLUETEC concept car, for example, is currently the worlds cleanest and most fuel efficient SUV in its class. Regardless of the vehicles in which it is used, the technology enables compliance with the world’s most stringent emission limits, including the BIN 5 norm that will go into effect in the U.S. in 2009.
The SCR process involves adding the reducing agent AdBlue to the exhaust flow. AdBlue is an aqueous carbamide solution that is stored in an extra tank. Because only around 0.1 liters of AdBlue is needed on average for every 100 kilometers driven (the equivalent of one to three percent of diesel consumption), its tank can be designed in such a way that it only needs to be refilled during regular maintenance checks. Injecting AdBlue into the exhaust gas releases ammonia (NH3), which causes the reduction of nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen and water in the downstream SCR catalytic converter. Achieving the high efficiency here requires adding precisely the amount of AdBlue needed for the respective particular engine operating state.

BLUETEC technology has been used successfully in more than 25,000 commercial vehicles from Mercedes-Benz since 2005. In fact, BLUETEC has decreased nitrogen oxide emissions to such an extent that the trucks in question already produce lower emissions than required by the new limits set to go into effect in 2009. Euro 5 trucks are also entitled to pay reduced road tolls in Germany up until 2009. Three thousand locations in Europe now offer AdBlue.

DaimlerChrysler decided at an early stage to use SCR-based BLUETEC technology to meet the Euro 4 and Euro 5 limits for commercial vehicles, and also to employ it as a basis for meeting even more stringent European emissions standards in the future. All European manufacturers have since followed suit and are now developing technologies based on SCR to ensure compliance with Euro 5.

To coincide with the conversion of up to 76,000 US filling stations to clean Diesel fuel with a sulphur content below 15 ppm, Mercedes Benz is commencing sales of the E 320 BLUETEC in the USA and Canada in one week’s time. Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) allows the use of trail-blazing BLUETEC technology, making the E 320 BLUETEC the world’s cleanest Diesel car. The E 320 BLUETEC is the first and only Diesel vehicle worldwide able to better the American BIN 8 exhaust emissions standard, which is extremely stringent – particularly in terms of nitrogen oxide emissions. The E 320 BLUETEC will be available for sale in the USA (45 states) and Canada, and uses up to 30 percent less fuel than comparable petrol-engine vehicles in North America. Owing to its enormous operating range of up to 1200 km on one full tank, the E 320 BLUETEC is exceptionally well cut-out for US driving conditions.

The latest J.D. Power study "Global Outlook For Diesel" forecasts that Diesels will account for more than 15 percent of new registrations in North America by 2015. In the light of this, Mercedes-Benz will systematically expand its BLUETEC range. The company has announced that it intends to offer three further BLUETEC models in the R, ML and GL-Class - meeting the even more stringent BIN 5 standard - in all 50 US states as early as 2008.